


Broken Beyond Repair

by Gears112



Series: Reunion AU [15]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Arguing, Bertie's trying to help, Break Up, Consequences, Developing Friendships, F/M, Past Relationship(s), Post-Break Up, Sammy confronts Susie over what she did, Sammy is sad boi, Susie is trying to get better but she's got a looooong way to go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 02:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15233547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gears112/pseuds/Gears112
Summary: Sammy hears more about what Susie did when he had 'disappeared' in revenge for 'taking Allison's side' in regards to the Alice Angel role, and finally decides to confront his former love about her actions.





	1. Chapter 1

...

“Yo, Jake, you hear about the-”   


“Studio employees returning. Yes, yes I have.” Sammy froze, stopping as he heard his brother’s voice coming from the locker room. He was there to look at the requirements for applying for a position similar to Cordelia, though he knew he’d be open to basically any job. “And that includes my brother before you ask.”   


“So is he as much as an asshole as they say?” Sammy frowned; he knew he wasn’t the most sociable of people, but he wasn’t that rude to people before he vanished, right? He listened in closer as Jacob sighed. “I mean you’ve heard ‘em; he was a lazy S-O-B, and vain as all get out.” Sammy heard his brother sigh again, tiredly.   


“Those were just rumors-”   


“But they were from his girlfriend.” Sammy pursed his lips; he knew Susie was upset about losing the job, but surely it wasn’t that bad, right? “I’m sure she’s got some experience with-”   


“More than his family then?” Sammy was admittedly startled by how sharp his younger brother sounded. “If you’re going to continue to believe rumors from a jealous woman over the word of her ex-boyfriend’s family, then would you like to hear what Matilda _really_ thinks about your present you gave her?” The conversation became more muffled and heated as Sammy sighed, conflicted; how bad was it after he had vanished? He continued down the hall, finding his way to the Music Classroom, where Cordelia was eating her lunch while Joshua was vacuuming. Both stopped and looked at Sammy as he entered the classroom.   


“Oh hey, Sam, what’s up?” Joshua asked.   


“Did the interview go well?” Cordelia asked before realizing that Sammy was quiet. She immediately got up and sat him in a chair, sitting across from him as Joshua came over. “Sammy, what’s wrong?” Sammy wanted to say that he was fine, but he knew Cordelia and Joshua too well. He sighed softly.   


“When...When I disappeared….” He started. “How...how did Susie react to that?” Joshua rubbed the back of his head as he sat down across from Sammy.   


“Well, she was upset you weren’t there to get the brunt of her insults.” He said simply as Cordelia twiddled her thumbs nervously.   


“She was bitch about it all…” Cordelia admitted, surprising Sammy by her language. “She stayed nice to me...probably because I didn’t say anything contrary…” Joshua scoffed.   


“More like she knew what would happen if Roy or anybody from the parlour got wind of it.” He remarked and offered a cheeky grin to Sammy, knowing the man knew of the more 'unsavory' clients of the parlour, before his smile faded. “But she smack talked about you whenever the occasion happened to come up...and boy was she loud whenever the family or any of us was near…”   


“Why?” Sammy asked softly. “Why did she do that?”   


“Probably blamed them...for leaving, for siding with Joey-”   


“But I didn’t!”   


“It didn’t matter to her.” Joshua stated simply, his face now showing nothing but a dead serious look. “She wanted everyone else to suffer. Any happiness, she set out to ruin.” Sammy watched the man sigh and rub a hand through his hair before looking at him and Dee. “Dee, a few weeks before the incident at the parlour with her and Nancy, she found out about the army listings and I suppose she thought that she could blackmail me into helping her.” Cordelia stared at Joshua as Sammy blinked slowly while the man relayed the memory.   


.

* * *

.   


_ “Why do you need to see me at this hour, Ms. Campbell?” Joshua asked, trying to keep as polite as possible, considering she was ‘technically’ a customer, having made an appointment to have work done, though she probably just did it so she could have him in a room by herself. “I hardly doubt you want a tattoo; it would ruin your image, wouldn’t it? Unless you’d like a tramp stamp…” Susie just smirked as she pulled out a folded note. _ _  
_

_ “Oh I wouldn’t be so rude, Mister Foster, after all, it’d be a shame if Dee found out you’re leaving her~” She opened it, revealing the recruitment poster. Joshua frowned and looked at her in mild confusion. _ _  
_

_ “It’s a recruitment poster. You have an actual point?” Susie laughed-more like cackled-as she leaned uncomfortably close to him. _ _  
_

_ “You help me wreck Lawrence’s life, and I won’t show Dee this, and tell her what this is going to mean for you two,” Joshua frowned, not quite understanding where Susie was getting at; she was mad at Sammy for whatever reason, right? _ _  
_

_ “Sammy’s missing. I’d consider that pretty wrecked, and Roy wouldn’t let you walk again if you lay a hand on Dee.” Susie threw her head back with another cackle and pinned Joshua in between her hands, surprising the man; how the hell was she this fast?! _ _  
_

_ “Missing?! Hardly, Foster; He’s abandoned me for that harlot, some new skank, just like Dee will when she realizes you’re going to do the exact damn thing to when you’re shipped overseas like a broken piece of-” _ _  
_

_ “Your time is up Ms. Campbell.” A lanky hand roughly grabbed her shoulder as Agnes drew her back. “I’ll happily escort ta to your car after you pay for this session.” His tone betrayed that underneath that sweet smile he wasn’t asking Susie for anything; he was ordering her. He led her out sternly, his bulk keeping Susie from lashing out at him as Joshua leaned against the wall, trying to process what just happened to him. A few moments later there’s a slammed door, and after that, Agnes returns to help the artist recover, at least help process what the hell just happened. _   


.

* * *

.   


“Joshy…” Cordelia said softly, taking his hand gently and brushing his knuckles softly.   


“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner Dee…” Joshua said sheepishly. “I...it…”   


“It’s been a wild couple of months.” Sammy said, getting a weak smile from Joshua and a grateful smile from Cordelia. “Thank you for telling me this, Joshua…I should go…” He stood and headed towards the door.   


“Wait!” Cordelia hurried over to him, and for a brief second, Sammy saw Cordelia as she was as his intern, running to catch up with him and hand him the late papers before he locked himself in his sanctuary. She took his hand. “Sammy, please...Susie’s been making so many strides forward…” Sammy smiled softly and pecked her forehead.   


“I know, Cordelia, I know she is, but I need to make sure that she understands the gravity of what her words caused…” He looked at Joshua, smiling knowingly at the man before turning back to Cordelia. “Besides, you need to help him remember that he is stronger than he thinks he is…” With that he left the classroom, with a plan to have an open and honest conversation with his former sweetheart; he wouldn’t run from this issue anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

...

“Susie.” Susie froze as she heard Sammy’s voice and she turned. “We need to talk, are you free to talk at the moment?” Susie opened her mouth to decline, but got a rather obnoxious hip thrust from Robert.

“Feel free to take it outside, Ms. Campbell. Me and Ruby got the kitchen covered, even with Marvin’s ‘help’.” He said simply; ever since he had returned to a human form, he knew something was up with both Campbell and Lawrence. He vaguely remembered a fight between the two and when he had asked Ruby what she knew about Sammy before he came back, he learned about the ‘mean lady’s name-calling’, which given the fact he tried to avoid ‘Alice’s’ sanctuary even more so than Joey as a Searcher, it didn’t take him long to piece together what might have gone down. Susie glared daggers at him as Sammy gently led Susie outside to the patio. Robert ignored the glare and casually cracked the window to eavesdrop to relay to the others later.

“What, Sammy?” Susie asked, once they were outside. 

“We need to talk.”

“You’ve interrupted the only time I got the kitch-”

“About our break up and what happened after I was sacrificed to the machine.” 

“Oh.” Susie paled slightly as she wiped her hands on the borrowed apron. “That.”

“Yes. That.” Sammy sighed and ran a hand through his head. “Look, I understand you were mad about Joey’s decision, but that was it; it was  _ his _ choice. If I tried to argue with him I would’ve been fired.”

“Considering what happened though…” She muttered.

“Susan.” Susie flinched at her real name and looked away from her ex. “You know that music making is my passion. Had I lost that job, I’d have nothing. You knew that when we started dating.”

“But you didn’t even try!” She turned to her former boyfriend angrily. “You didn’t even ask him why or tell him to reconsider! You just let him walk over you while he did whatever he wanted!” Sammy frowned and crossed his arms.

“Then why did you take it out on my family?” Susie froze. “Why did they have to suffer for my apparent sin?”

“Sammy, I overreacted, I know-”

“Overreacted?! You terrified my parents that you were going to hurt my siblings! You realize that  _ even _ Joey hadn’t gotten to that point before I vanished!? And you  _ did _ hurt them My sister, Susie! Nancy, she loved you and worshipped the ground you walked on when she was little! And you beat her like she was a petty criminal!”

“Sammy I wasn’t in my right-”

“You realize that she told me that she believes that the only reason you liked her was because she stroked your ego!” Sammy was struggling to keep his voice down. “Was that all our relationship was to you?!”

“Sammy, no I-”

“My brother had no idea who I was! All he had were my parents, Dee and Roy, and Jay to tell him that those rumors were wrong and prove them wrong!” Susie flinched slightly as Sammy continued, unable to stop himself. “He still has to defend my humanity against others who were told those lies, Susie! And for what? You to feel better about losing a stupid job?”

“It wasn’t stupid!” She snapped. “Alice was a  _ part _ of me Sammy! She and I were going to go places damnit! Joey ripped it away from me like it was nothing! And gave to Allison! She didn’t have the passion I had! Alice was mine!!” Sammy looked at her with a stone face.

“You let that ‘part’ of you consume you.” Sammy stated, stone cold. “You let that part decide that it was fine to lie to others about who I was; to harass my family, who had no connection to the studio; attack my sister like she was an animal; and let that ‘passion’ drive you to resort to blackmailing the only man who considered me a friend!?” Susie froze, paling; she had no idea that Sammy knew about  _ that _ incident. “Why?! You wanted me to pay for Joey’s stupidity! Why did you go after them too?! Was it worth it Susie?! Was it worth ruining everyone else’s lives as well as mine!?” Sammy was yelling at this point, the emotions of the past 30 years finally bubbling over. “Was this your plan all along; ruin anything that didn’t help you become a star; tossing them away like a broken tool!? Was that all I was to you Susan, was it!? Was I just a damn tool to you?!” Susie wanted to make her voice work, struggling to keep calm; Sammy was just being emotional, everything was just crashing in, and it was Joey’s fault anyways, if he didn’t change the casting it wouldn’t have happened, right? Susie struggled to repeat that mantra in her head, but she knew the truth, even with all the horrible things Joey had done to everyone, she was the one that blew up at Sammy, she was the one who attacked Nancy, accusing her of being like her brother; lying and ruining Sammy’s public image, and planned on ruining another couple’s love life because she let petty jealousy consume her. Sammy could barely see with the tears threatening to fall from his face. He merely nodded as he turned and walked back into the house. He made a beeline to the guest room and ungracefully flung himself onto the bed, burying himself in the pillows.

“The conversation went that well, huh?” Sammy ignored the voice of Bertram, as the man sat on the edge of the bed. “Look, I may not be clear about what exactly went down between you two, but I am not a moron like that Drew, so I know that you are a man who’s been through a lot.”

“No shit.” Was the muffled response. 

“But, I also know that you’re a pridefully stubborn man.” Sammy lifted his head to look at Bertram, not wanting to deal with his ass right now. “Takes one to know one, I’m firmly aware of that. The point is, is that you shouldn’t let yourself be tied down by Ms. Campbell’s...juvenile behavior. As a great scholar once said, ‘She pulled a dumb and has to deal with the dumb now’.” Sammy raised an eyebrow.

“You’ve met my sister already?” Bertram shrugged.

“She’s rather feisty young lady, I will admit that much; but she’s a very bright lady who, as I’ve been told, ‘tells it like it is’.” Bertram patted Sammy’s back. “It’s going to be hard with this regarding Ms. Campbell, but it’s going to get better; she’ll fix as much damage as possible, or she’ll move on with her life, scurrying away from responsibility and blame Joey. But you, you’ll have moved on with your life, regardless of her choices. The most important thing is that you are your best person before trying to work it out with Ms. Campbell.”

“The hell are you smoking?” Bertram groaned and swatted Sammy upside the head.

“I am a park designer, not a fucking life coach!” He growled. “I’m saying don’t wait around for Susie to fuck you over again; you focus on enjoying yourself and your family and let the dumb bitch stick her high heeled foot in her mouth or not!” Sammy smiled slightly; perhaps Bertram could have worded it far more gracefully, but he did have a point.

“Thanks, Piedmont…”

“Bertie.” Sammy looked at the man, who shrugged defensively. “The way Ms. Charles attempts to say my name is rather...endearing, and as much as I hate it to admit it...the nickname has grown on me…” Sammy nodded.

“Ruby is like that, isn’t she? I can see why the others trust her and why it’s been easier for them to remember…” Bertram smiled slightly.

“Don’t let her take all the credit; you’ve pulled most of the weight for 30 years.” He stood. “Speaking of weight, I’m going to make sure that Franks and Flynn are actually making sure that they’re not bothering Lac-Miss Benton while she’s learning about that monstrosity Mr. Ross refers to as a ‘car’.” He went to the door before turning back to Sammy, with a soft smile. “Tomorrow’s another day Mr. Lawrence; let’s look forward to that at least.”

"...Right..."


End file.
